Just keep running, just keep running....

(note: the title of this blog must be sung to the tune of "Just keep swimming" by Dory from "Finding Nemo")

Well, now that my 5K Challenge has passed, I need a new goal. So here it is: to run a 5K in 30:00 minutes or less. I would like to be able to do this by the Cheerios race, but I don't know. My knee and ankle have both started complaining. I thought it was just the cold snap the past couple of days, but that might be wishful thinking. So, I am going to really focus on strengthening the muscles around both my knee and ankle as well as some serious stretching so I can "just keep running. Just keep running. Just keep running, running, running. What do we do? We run, run, run." (did I get the song stuck in your head? hee. hee. hee. -- that's my evil chuckle)

I did run today. Since my 5K challenge is changing, I decided to focus on extending the length of time I can run at a faster pace instead of getting in my 3.1 miles in a shorter time. So I pushed past my comfort zone and ran a full 2 miles at 5.5 or 11:00/mile. This left me with 8mins in my 30:00 minute allowance at the Y. So after my heart rate came down and I no longer had a stitch in my side, I did a couple of "sprints" at 7.0 (about 9:00/mile I think). I was only able to go about a quarter of a mile each time, and I rested for about 2 minutes in between, but it felt really good. The fear of being propelled backwards off a treadmill can make anyone run faster!